Few issues are more emotional, and therefore vulnerable to bad analysis, than urban crime risk. Solid research indicates that more compact and mixed development tends to increase neighborhood security. Jane Jacobs was right!

Temple University plans to build a new football stadium on Broad Street in North Philadelphia. In a critique of the proposal for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Inga Saffron argues that the disruption the stadium would cause to the neighborhood is not worth the advantages the stadium might bring. Saffron is particularly concerned about the closure of 15th Street. The planned stadium would need to cover two city blocks and the current plan would leave 15th Street dead-ending into the stadium at Norris and Berks Streets. Currently, 15th is one of the only streets that runs southbound and unblocked all the way to Central City. Saffron argues that, "Though there are certainly streets that can be given up to improve the quality of life in Philadelphia, 15th is not one of them. The impact of the closure would ripple through the whole city."

Supporters of the plan argue that it will give the fans of Temple's football team a chance to access a stadium through public transit and that the location will save the university a great deal on rent. But, Saffron contends, it will cost the neighborhood and the city more than it will save the university.

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